LeBron James could join Warriors, completely ruin NBA next summer

In a league dominated by superstars joining forces to create superteams, a new report from ESPN has lined up Cavaliers everything LeBron James as a possible fit to join the Golden State Warriors when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

On the surface, it seems almost impossible for the Warriors to pull this off. Then again, it wasn’t all that long ago — and around this same time during the season — that we generally felt the same way about Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City to join the Warriors. And one 16-1 postseason later, we all know how that turned out for the NBA.

It’s also important to consider where the LeBron-Cavaliers dynamic is at, too.

As noted in the ESPN article, James’ at times contentious relationship with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is known. James is also the king of petty social media moves, subtweets, and everything else that would make the outside world aware of any and all problems he has with the hometown franchise he single-handedly brought back from the dead. There’s been no shortage of those in the last two seasons (also known as the time rumors of James’ second exit from The Land became more common), by the way.

Most of all, the Cavs are slowly but surely becoming a zombie before our eyes, and if there’s one thing we all know about LeBron, it’s that he’s not going to roll with that.

And if he does indeed leave Cleveland, it’s believed that it will be for a move West and specifically towards California, where he spends his offseasons and clearly wants to be. It’s no secret that James would have a greater chance of getting what he wants (a chance to continue his yearly runs to the Finals) in the Bay versus decisions with the Clippers or Lakers, too.

…But how does James-to-Oakland make sense?

Get ready for some anything-but-simple math; If a pitch to LeBron is successful, ESPN believes the easiest (or most) practical move for the team would be a sign-and-trade to send Klay Thompson and another heavy contract to the Cavaliers. The Warriors would then need Durant to decline his player option for the second year in a row and take another pay cut to remain a Warrior, (obviously) re-sign, and then trade Shaun Livingston to another team for some much-needed cap space.

It’s a lot of maneuvering and something out of a video game (or Danny Ainge’s last summer), I know, but if there’s one team that could survive it, it’s the Dubs, especially if it’s to add LeBron to the mix. And especially when the Warriors would then become the favorites to add literally every single veteran free agent willing to take league minimum just for a chance to win.

Such a move would create an utterly ridiculous gap between the Warriors and the rest of the NBA, by all means destroy all competitive balance in an already tilted league, and make Anthony Davis to Boston look like a mere starting point in regards to what the C’s would now need to do to compete with the Warriors.

The good news: It all seems like a stretch at this point, especially with the word that the Warriors have not yet explored this option. But if LeBron’s willing to listen like Durant was willing to listen two summers ago, as sources have clearly identified as a possibility, there’s not enough eyeball emojis in the world to keep the basketball world at ease.

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